On Tuesday 7 October the ITC and Ofcom issued a joint consultation on whether any specific ex ante rules are still necessary to protect the TV advertising sales market, and if so the form that any new rules should take. In this document the ITC and Ofcom indicated that, to the extent that new rules in relation to airtime sales arrangements are still necessary, they would come in to force in line with the new regulatory regime at the end of December 2003. If new rules were not found to be necessary, any joint selling in the market would be subject only to general competition law from that date.
Following numerous requests and representations from industry on the need to have maximum clarity as early as possible in this year’s TV advertising deal season, the ITC and Ofcom wish to announce that we will endeavour to issue our conclusions on this consultation early in December. To the extent that new rules are required, these will take effect from the date the document is issued. To the extent new rules are not needed, market participants will still be subject to general competition law.
Until the conclusions on this consultation are issued the ITC and Ofcom remind all parties that they must continue to abide by the existing airtime sales rules.